"Stiff" bag mag function

[ScottPhotoCo]

I have a 5x7 bag mag that is super stiff and difficult to eject the film sheath into the bag. My other bag mag is much smoother and easier to function. Have any of you had this issue and come up a solution?

Thank you in advance for your help.


Tim
www.ScottPhoto.co

[Bill_1856]

Sounds like it is drying. Maybe rub it with Neatsfoot oil before its too late. ( No Neats were crippled for this advice).

[ScottPhotoCo]

Sounds like it is drying. Maybe rub it with Neatsfoot oil before its too late. ( No Neats were crippled for this advice).

Thanks Bill. It's more of the friction of the plates that is the issue. The bag itself is new and functioning well.


Tim
www.ScottPhoto.co

[mdarnton]

I buffed the sharp septum corners opposite the one the hook grabs--just on the long edge--and waxed the septums and the inside near the front and mine are working smoothly.

Basically I was trying to put a long sled-like ramp on the leading edge, and not much of one so you don't cut through the very thin metal!

[Jim Noel]

Clean the inside well, and then use nose grease on the edges of each septum.

[jnantz]

when i got mine from a master bag mag user i was told if it ever gets
difficult, to pull the metal slider all the way up and buff it with brass
polish, and clean the inside. sometimes the septums get bent out of flat
and they can cause jamming.
good luck !

[Michael Rosenberg]

I don't know if the bag mag sticking issue is similar to the issue I have had with Grafmatics sticking while shuffling film. What I found that worked was to partially disassemble the the holder and clean it with auto paint cleaner using lint free rags and q-tips. This gets rid of the dried lubricant, which was probably a high temperature paraffin wax. I then used a high quality carnuba wax on all the parts that made contact. The Grafmatics are like new. I suggest that as you disassemble you take cell phone pictures with the screws visible to know which go back where.

Mike

[ScottPhotoCo]

Thanks all! I'll try some of these and see how it works.


Tim
www.ScottPhoto.co

[mdarnton]

I found another possible issue this afternoon with a new bag mag: the hook gets immediately stuck, and won't move anything.

In this case, the problem was a burr sticking up on the business end of the hook, combined with a burr sticking down on the to-be-hooked corner of the septums. Because of the two, one reaching up, the other reaching down, the hook was high enough to catch the leading burr on the SECOND septum up at the same time as the first septum, but the second one can't move because it's not in the first position, pointing into the opening at the head of the holder. Filing the burr off the hook (I dropped a small car point file in and moved the hook against it) and buffing the small burr on the septum open ends fixed this problem perfectly.

[ScottPhotoCo]

Hello everyone. I do really appreciate the feedback and suggestions you shared here and they were very helpful. I thought I'd follow up and let you know how everything turned out. In a word – great!

Here is what I ended up doing:

1. Complete cleaning of all parts with a damp rag followed by a thorough dry down.
2. Cleaning of the pull lever and rails with metal cleaner.
3. Rubdown of same pull lever and rails with WD40 until dry and clean. No residue of WD40 left on metal as I rubbed the pieces until the white cotton cloth came away clean.
4. I used 0000 steel wool on the outside edges of the film holders where they slide against each other until smooth to the touch.
5. Cleaned film sheaths/holders with lightly damp cloth thoroughly to remove any dust or residue and dried thoroughly.
6. Applied a coat of Renaissance Wax to the outside edges of the film holders where they slide against each other and set aside for 24 hours to dry.
7. Thoroughly cleaned, polished and removed any extra wax residue from the holders and placed into cleaned holder.

Result: HUGE difference. The film holders slide so much more easily and smoothly now. This was a lot of work but the difference was significant.

I hope this may help someone else. Let's keep these beautiful tools around and working for future generations.

Thanks again for all of your help and input!